The New York Times - Sarah Harrison Smith
…[an] interesting, wry and educational book set in the 11th century…Schindler's illustrations resemble manuscripts from the period: He invents wonderful decorated alphabet letters and draws precise but pretty pictures of the architecture of monasteries and cloisters…Older children who are interested in that period, in the mechanics of early book production or in calligraphy (the book is printed in a beautiful italic typeface) are likely to enjoy Brother Hugo and the Bear…
Publishers Weekly
02/17/2014
“It befell that on the first day of Lent, Brother Hugo could not return his library book.” In a medieval twist on the homework-eating dog, Brother Hugo confesses to his abbot that a bear has eaten his borrowed copy of St. Augustine’s letters. The abbot instructs Brother Hugo to retrieve a copy of the book from a neighboring monastery and create a new version—hand-written, illuminated, and bound. This process forms the heart of debut author Beebe’s how-it’s-done story as Hugo’s fellow monks aid in his efforts. The capital letters of each paragraph are meticulously illuminated in ink and wash by Schindler (Spike and Ike Take a Hike) with small vignettes and ornaments. Beebe’s period prose is believable and at times funny (Brother Hugo “knew that once a bear has a taste of letters, his love of books grows much the more”), and Schindler’s Bruegelesque landscapes deepen the medieval atmosphere. Depending on readers’ temperaments, they’ll either laugh or despair at the ending, in which all of Hugo’s hard work comes to naught. Ages 5–9. (Apr.)
From the Publisher
School Library Journal (STARRED review) “Combines suspense, humor, and information in a handsome, entertaining package.”Kirkus Reviews (STARRED review) "Prepare to be charmed by a bear who loves words — or at least loves to eat them. . . . The rhythm of the text is antique but lucid and sweet, and the pictures, festooned with curlicues and decorated in shades of gold, gray and brown, echo the manuscript illuminations that inspired them. Rich backmatter gives all the historical background without detracting from the essential spark of the tale. . . . This accurate (if abbreviated) delineation of the process of medieval manuscript bookmaking shines thanks to the fey twist of ursine longing for the written word."New York Times “Interesting, wry and educational.”Congregational Libraries Today “Detailed illustrations in blues, golds and browns, with manuscript lettering, make for an attractive book and provide pleasure and meaning for children. . . . Brother Hugo gives renewed appreciation for words, writing and reading.”
School Library Journal - Audio
01/01/2016
K-Gr 3—Brother Hugo can't return his library book, the letters of Saint Augustine, because a hungry bear has devoured them. The abbot instructs him to make penance by journeying to Chartreuse to acquire the letters and painstakingly recopy them for the library. Brother Hugo does so with the help of his friends but runs across the bear again on his return back to the monastery. The language and description of medieval bookmaking give opportunity for discussion on historical context. The audio version is well read by Gildart Jackson. Music accompanies the narration and adds to the medieval feel. However, pauses in the music between pages are choppy. The story is whimsical and brief but requires the visual clues of the illustrations for the youngest listeners. A second track includes page-turn signals. VERDICT Best suited for listening while the book is being displayed. Purchase to add variety to the read-aloud experience. ["Combines suspense, humor, and information in a handsome, entertaining package": SLJ 5/14 starred review of the Eerdmans book.]—Rebecca Flannery, Memorial Elementary School, East Hampton, CT
School Library Journal
★ 05/01/2014
K-Gr 3—According to detailed back matter, the author learned of a documented incident involving a book-eating bear and the subsequent letter written by Peter the Venerable to a neighboring French monastery requesting St. Augustine's letters. That research inspired this story that combines suspense, humor, and information in a handsome, entertaining package. As the tale begins, Brother Hugo confesses his unfortunate loss to the abbot, who asks: "Pray tell, … how did a bear find our letters of St. Augustine?" Hugo replies ruefully, "They seemed to agree with him." His penance is to journey to Chartreuse to borrow the manuscript and copy it. Beebe's language creates an Old World flavor, as Hugo "sorely sighed and sorrowed in his heart" and "sped full mightily." When he begins to copy the borrowed book, the enormity of the task dawns on him, and the brothers offer assistance. Readers then obtain a clear overview of medieval bookmaking, from the stretching and scraping of sheepskin to the laborious copying and binding. Schindler's elegant compositions make full use of each spread. Text wraps around delicate ink and watercolor brooks and grazing sheep, while illuminated letters decorate and amuse. Arches and columns cleverly frame the monk, creating sequential panels to portray his painstaking progress on what becomes, alas, another "choice morsel" for the insatiable beast. Combine this with C. M. Millen's The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane (Charlesbridge, 2010) and Jan Pancheri's Brother William's Year (Frances Lincoln, 2010) for further insights into how monasteries nourish bodies and souls.—Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library
FEBRUARY 2016 - AudioFile
Gildart Jackson’s narration is full of an old-fashioned regal lilt as befits a tale set in the twelfth century in the world of monasteries, hand-copied manuscripts, and wild creatures outside the walls. Brother Hugo is mortified that a bear has eaten his library copy of the letters of St. Augustine. As he sets out to re-create the manuscript, aided by fellow monks, listeners learn about the bookmaking process from sheepskin to final clasps. Jackson adds a gentle authority as the abbot and the prior, the latter of whom reminds Brother Hugo, “Books are food for the souls of men, not bears.” Listeners will catch bemusement in Jackson’s voice as he delivers the constant stomach grumbling and lip smacking that torments the monastery all Lent long. Light background music augments the period setting. A.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2016 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2014-02-19
Prepare to be charmed by a bear who loves words—or at least loves to eat them. Brother Hugo cannot return his book to the library of the monastery: A bear has consumed it. Enjoined to go to another priory to borrow a volume that he might copy to replace what the bear ate, he finds the bear follows him, snuffling hungrily. All his brother monks help him to prepare the parchment, make the inks, sew the pages and bind it shut. They even supply him with scraps of text to toss to the bear as Brother Hugo attempts to return the book he had copied. This does not work out, exactly. The rhythm of the text is antique but lucid and sweet, and the pictures, festooned with curlicues and decorated in shades of gold, gray and brown, echo the manuscript illuminations that inspired them. Rich backmatter gives all the historical background without detracting from the essential spark of the tale. The author, who holds a Ph.D. in medieval history, was inspired by a line from the 12th-century abbot Peter the Venerable about a precious volume eaten by a bear to make this lively story. This accurate (if abbreviated) delineation of the process of medieval manuscript bookmaking shines thanks to the fey twist of ursine longing for the written word. (glossary, author's note, illustrator's note) (Picture book. 5-9)
